How do you make decisions? What do you do if you need help with taxes, medical care or auto repairs? You get help from friends, family or experts. Getting help when it is needed is also called Supported Decision Making. We all use it.
Disability Rights Nebraska (disabilityrightsnebraska.org) is hosting a Summit to raise awareness of Supported Decision Making (SDM) as a means to increase self-determination among people with disabilities and the aging population. Self-determination is having the right to make your own choices and set your own goals. Multiple studies show that people with greater self-determination are healthier, more independent, more well adjusted and better able to recognize and resist abuse.
The event will take place August 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center on the UNO campus. Zoom participation available. The event features panel discussions with people with disabilities and family members using the SDM process as an alternative to full guardianship and a keynote address by national SDM expert Jonathon Martinis.
Sessions on policy development are aimed at making the process readily accessible and effective in Nebraska and examining Nebraska’s current legal guardianship structure. The Summit is free of charge and open to anyone interested. Registration required. Attendees are welcome to attend their choice of sessions. Lunch is provided, vendor tables are available.
Attendance is limited, contact Liza Howell at 1-800-422-6691 / liza@drne.org. Funding for this training has been provided by the Nebraska Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCDD).
For assistance with a disability rights related issue or questions about the law and disability, call to speak with an advocate at (402) 413-2016 / 1-800-422-6691 or contact Disability Rights Nebraska online at disabilityrightsnebraska.org.